Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2

His response was to pull the shackles tighter so she could pretty much not move. "It doesn't matter what you are. You as a woman should be treated well and holy," Rei scowled in reply. Unfortunately, it was not the reality that most dragons treated their women well. It was only a minority who treated them respectfully.

Quinn laughed harshly, exasperated. "Yes, I can see that," she said just as bitterly. "You probably meant to say that as a woman, I have to bow to men and follow their will, or I'll be punished," she said and would continue to duck him. Precisely because he didn't particularly like it.

With a quick movement, Rei had jumped onto the bed and was now kneeling over Quinn. His face came very close to her, his eyes fixing on her as he leaned over her. Really dangerous, like a predator, he looked. "I didn't say that. Believe what you want, but using you for something I had no intention of doing, just doing what I have to do," he literally spat the words in her face.

"What you want doesn't matter," she remarked, turning her head away. "All you have to do is educate me. You may have planned to treat me decently, but it won't do me any good in the long run because I can't stay here. So why be nice and well-behaved, get something that won't stay anyway, and then face the bitter reality?"

Sighing in frustration, he stood up and adjusted the blanket on top of her, which had shifted because of him. "If you were planning to gain an advantage by misbehaving, I'm going to have to disappoint you. At some point, I will have to turn you in, regardless of whether you are educated or not. The important thing is the transformation," he growled indignantly.

His voice betrayed how upset he was. "If you don't respect me, I will be just as disrespectful to you. The worse you behave, the more unpleasant methods I will have to use. And I'm going to start doing that now," Rei declared sourly. He had hoped he wouldn't have to. Now he felt compelled to show her his other side. He took the leather structure in his hand and led her to what she would be wearing from now on.

Quinn looked at it and seemed perplexed. It looked like the men's, but she didn't know what it was supposed to be at all. "What is it?" she asked skeptically, and at the same time, she wondered how he was going to put it on her while she was buried under that mountain of blankets. Moreover, she could feel her fingers getting cold again, as the blood circulation was no longer wholly guaranteed due to the position.

"Something that will suppress your abilities," Rei replied coldly. Before he could put it on her, her skin had to warm up again first.

Unasked, he let his hand disappear under the blankets and placed it there on Quinn's stomach. This was warm, which he took as a good sign.

With a jerk, he pulled the blankets away, exposing her body with them. Although she was naked in front of him, he didn't really look at her.

Deftly, Rei loosened the bonds enough to allow him to lift the young woman up.

Quinn tried to resist but was too weak.

Fear spread through her as he first fastened the leather structure around her neck before placing it around her body. As he did so, the leather straps went around her chest and across her stomach, finally, even around her thighs. It felt like a second skin, and the leather was quite soft but still somehow uncomfortable.

Already it was rubbing sensitive areas and even making her gasp.

Panicking, she tried to move away from Rei, to push him away and get away from the leather part. The men had worn it over their clothes, but she underneath. Why, "Stop it," she said in a panic because it felt so unfamiliar.

Since she didn't hold still, his hand shot to hers and gripped hard. "You're not going to call me by my first name. Or I'll put a gag on you," he warned angrily. "And stop complaining. You alone are responsible for this," he said gruffly.

Quinn could see him struggling with himself. Rei looked tired and weary, and although he was upset, he wasn't like before.

"I'm not responsible for anything," she hissed at him, angry and unmoved by his grip or his words. "I'm here against my will, and I'll spend my whole life trying to escape. One way or another," she predicted to him.

With raised eyebrows, Rei looked at her briefly before closing the last buckle. He then tightened the shackles again to the point where she couldn't move much, but her blood could flow. "You won't have a chance to do that from now on," he remarked dryly. "That was the first and last time."

Her gaze was fixed stubbornly on him. "You didn't break me," she said softly. "Fixed for a moment, maybe, but not brought up yet," she said, literally spitting out the last word.

Rei had had enough, it was clear. From the chest, at the foot of the bed, he pulled out a gag, which he put on her.

"I haven't yet. I'd rather not have to break you. But you certainly can't stay here," he suddenly declared more calmly than before. If she stayed here, she could do whatever she wanted. Like some of the men, she would have to do work, but she would not be forced to do anything else.

Quinn's look became no less severe and convinced of herself. She would not back down. Let him try what he wanted. She would not grovel before anyone.

Once the gag was on, he left Quinn alone in bed under the covers. She would see what she got out of it. His hospitality and attempt to treat her courteously had not borne fruit, so now she was going to suffer the consequences.

Rei went back to the kitchen and wordlessly sat down at the table where food was still being served and took something from the still-steaming pots.

Since she had acted up, she would not come to dinner either. Whether he would bring her something later, he did not know yet. Maybe he should let her starve as punishment? However, her body needed the strength for the transformation.

"Is there trouble?" inquired Mako cautiously because he could tell from Rei's face that he was not excited and, more importantly, hurt.

Until Mako's words, Rei had been playing with his soup instead of eating it. Sullenly, he glanced at the green-haired man. "You will bring her food later and guard her through the night," he said gruffly.

Mako's lips twisted into a smile. "What did she do?" he asked because this order did come as a surprise.

Not exactly in the best of moods, Rei banged on the table, causing the dishes to clink and the conversation to fall silent. "Do what I told you to do. And don't you dare touch her. Otherwise, you'll end up in Sector D for the rest of your life," he threatened Mako. Sector D was considered the worst category to be thrown into.

The latter raised his hands defensively. "Why are you giving this task to me when you are sure it will be hard for me?" he asked. Sector D was a threat he took seriously, yet he also knew what attraction could come from a woman.

Rei's eyes narrowed to tight slits, as they had so many times that day. "You question my decisions?" he raged and, disregarding the fact that the other men were still at the table, stood up.

Hard, he grabbed Mako by the back of the neck before dragging him out of the kitchen and toward the basement. It wasn't hard for Rei, even though the green-haired man was tall and muscular. His men had to obey him. Apparently, Mako preferred a life down there. He was welcome to that.

Surprised that Rei would come down so hard on this remark, Mako tried to placate him. "I didn't mean it that way," he assured him, trying not to break free from his grip. He didn't want to make him feel like he was struggling.

Without even giving him a chance to explain himself, Rei pulled him down relentlessly. He took the key from his pocket, unlocked the multiple magically secured gate, and threw Mako inside.

The latter seemed to want to say something else, but as Rei closed the gate again, his words fell utterly silent.

Rei then made his way back upstairs and found that Quinn was indeed a nuisance.

The remaining men in the kitchen had their heads down. When Rei was in such a bad mood, it was better to be quiet and not question anything. Only rarely did the guard allows himself to be placated.

With this reaction, he earned the respect he needed and deserved. Otherwise, everyone would be on his case.

"Clean up and tidy up. Then off to bed," he barked at the men in the kitchen as he grabbed a small bowl and ladled soup into it. He also added two glasses and two cups, which he placed on a tray.